N-400 and I-751 Combo Pending -- Part 2

[sldrgn 8]

My N-400 interview is tomorrow morning, I’m crossing my fingers that it’s a combo interview since my I-751 is still pending. My husband is coming and I’m bringing a folder full of marriage evidence. I called USCIS and talked to a Tier 2 rep recently, but they couldn’t tell me if mine will be a combo interview. Wish I knew for sure that tomorrow will be the last hurdle!

[malico89 19]

Hi all, I wanted to share my experience as a combo filer since so many of these posts have been helpful to me during the wait!

 

I filed for I-751 June of 2018, N400 June 2019. Biometrics for N400 happened around mid-June, and a little after that I got a notification that my I-751 was transferred to NBC (likely to combine cases). I never got a notice that my I-751 was transferred to my field office, but then again my I-751 notifications have been very wrong/inconsistent in both USCIS tracker systems.

 

Late October I got a combo interview notice letter (local office is Portland, OR), and just had my combo interview on November 27th. The letter itself never showed up on the USCIS system. Check-in was fairly smooth and we got in a little bit earlier than our appointment time to see the IO. She was very polite and friendly. My husband (USC) was in with me for a bit of the I-751, but not very long. She just asked a few routine questions (where we live, any new documents to add). She had both my I-751 and N400 in front of her, looked like 2 reams of paper. She scanned my husband's US passport and state ID and then told him to wait in the waiting area. After that she checked a couple more things on the I-751 but also told me "I think I already have everything I need to approve this."

 

She then proceeded to the N400 portion. Asked the civics questions (I honestly can't remember them all anymore) and the reading/writing test, passed all. Then she asked additional questions about where I live (again), where I work, and stepped through all the yes/no questions from the application. At the end she handed me a checklist looking sheet that said I was recommended for approval (yay!). She mentioned she would not mail me my 10-year GC since N400 was approved. Only thing pending is oath ceremony (still waiting on that notice, seems like Oregon/Washington are getting somewhat combined and there's a long line?). My USCIS went from saying estimated completion of December 2019 to February 2020. I really hope it doesn't take 3-4 months to get my oath ceremony... Does anyone have insight into Portland oath ceremony wait times? Although the hard part is done, I can't wait for all this to be official

 

During my interview the IO asked about my travel plans, and because I was cutting it close with I-751 expiration (January 2020) and she didn't know about oath ceremony timing, she got me a I-551 stamp on the spot (good for 6 months), which was super nice, saved me another trip/infopass appointment.

[Venus201320 143]

My I-751 was transferred today. I'm assuming because I applied for N-400. 

[Shady123 3]

1 hour ago, malico89 said:

Hi all, I wanted to share my experience as a combo filer since so many of these posts have been helpful to me during the wait!

 

I filed for I-751 June of 2018, N400 June 2019. Biometrics for N400 happened around mid-June, and a little after that I got a notification that my I-751 was transferred to NBC (likely to combine cases). I never got a notice that my I-751 was transferred to my field office, but then again my I-751 notifications have been very wrong/inconsistent in both USCIS tracker systems.

 

Late October I got a combo interview notice letter (local office is Portland, OR), and just had my combo interview on November 27th. The letter itself never showed up on the USCIS system. Check-in was fairly smooth and we got in a little bit earlier than our appointment time to see the IO. She was very polite and friendly. My husband (USC) was in with me for a bit of the I-751, but not very long. She just asked a few routine questions (where we live, any new documents to add). She had both my I-751 and N400 in front of her, looked like 2 reams of paper. She scanned my husband's US passport and state ID and then told him to wait in the waiting area. After that she checked a couple more things on the I-751 but also told me "I think I already have everything I need to approve this."

 

She then proceeded to the N400 portion. Asked the civics questions (I honestly can't remember them all anymore) and the reading/writing test, passed all. Then she asked additional questions about where I live (again), where I work, and stepped through all the yes/no questions from the application. At the end she handed me a checklist looking sheet that said I was recommended for approval (yay!). She mentioned she would not mail me my 10-year GC since N400 was approved. Only thing pending is oath ceremony (still waiting on that notice, seems like Oregon/Washington are getting somewhat combined and there's a long line?). My USCIS went from saying estimated completion of December 2019 to February 2020. I really hope it doesn't take 3-4 months to get my oath ceremony... Does anyone have insight into Portland oath ceremony wait times? Although the hard part is done, I can't wait for all this to be official

 

During my interview the IO asked about my travel plans, and because I was cutting it close with I-751 expiration (January 2020) and she didn't know about oath ceremony timing, she got me a I-551 stamp on the spot (good for 6 months), which was super nice, saved me another trip/infopass appointment.

what questions were you asked specifically for i751 ?

[malico89 19]

3 minutes ago, Shady123 said:

what questions were you asked specifically for i751 ?

I don't remember all the exact details, but nothing very surprising, mostly biographical: where do we live, any new documents (we had more photos and newer financial statements), any kids, how many marriages.

 

As I mentioned, she made a comment about having everything she needed, so I don't think there was anything missing or that she needed to question further about our case.

[sldrgn 8]

I had my N400 (filed May 2019) + I751 (filed May 2018) interview this morning in Boston. We arrived 30 mins early and ended up spending a little over two hours there -- things were moving quite slow. First I was called to a counter where they took my picture and fingerprints, and then they asked me to wait for an officer to call me into one of the interview rooms. I could hear lots of N400 interviews going on around me, probably all for people who already had their 10 yr green cards. The officer who took my picture confirmed that it would be a combo interview; I wasn't sure before then, and the Tier 2 rep I had talked to said she had no way of finding out.

Finally an officer called my name, asked if my husband was with me, and then went back to his office for fifteen minutes -- I think he was prepping for the I751 interview. Then he interviewed us separately -- first me, then my husband, asking us both the same questions. He asked about our bedroom - what size is the bed, what color are the sheets, is it wood floor or carpet, do we have a TV, how many windows are there. He asked about our shower door/bathroom curtain and about where/how we take out the trash. He also asked if we had nicknames for each other, if either of us has any tattoos or allergies. He asked what we did for our last wedding anniversary. My husband couldn't remember some of the details for all of these questions, but that wasn't a problem. I submitted a bunch of additional evidence: airplane and train tickets, insurance documents, copies of our lease, pictures, etc. 

Then he asked my husband to leave the room, and proceeded with the civics test (easy and straightforward), and then asked me all of the questions from the application. At the end, he told me that he would recommend both applications for approval, but someone else has to sign off on that first, and then I'll get an invitation to an oath ceremony in the mail. So now I'll wait for the very last part of this adventure.

 

This message board has really really helped me navigate all the paperwork and deal with the stress. The few times I've talked to uscis reps, they've given me really misleading information. I've always been able to find much better answers on visajourney. Good luck to everyone! 

 

 

[USAjune2016 101]

54 minutes ago, slphr said:

I had my N400 (filed May 2019) + I751 (filed May 2018) interview this morning in Boston. We arrived 30 mins early and ended up spending a little over two hours there -- things were moving quite slow. First I was called to a counter where they took my picture and fingerprints, and then they asked me to wait for an officer to call me into one of the interview rooms. I could hear lots of N400 interviews going on around me, probably all for people who already had their 10 yr green cards. The officer who took my picture confirmed that it would be a combo interview; I wasn't sure before then, and the Tier 2 rep I had talked to said she had no way of finding out.

Finally an officer called my name, asked if my husband was with me, and then went back to his office for fifteen minutes -- I think he was prepping for the I751 interview. Then he interviewed us separately -- first me, then my husband, asking us both the same questions. He asked about our bedroom - what size is the bed, what color are the sheets, is it wood floor or carpet, do we have a TV, how many windows are there. He asked about our shower door/bathroom curtain and about where/how we take out the trash. He also asked if we had nicknames for each other, if either of us has any tattoos or allergies. He asked what we did for our last wedding anniversary. My husband couldn't remember some of the details for all of these questions, but that wasn't a problem. I submitted a bunch of additional evidence: airplane and train tickets, insurance documents, copies of our lease, pictures, etc. 

Then he asked my husband to leave the room, and proceeded with the civics test (easy and straightforward), and then asked me all of the questions from the application. At the end, he told me that he would recommend both applications for approval, but someone else has to sign off on that first, and then I'll get an invitation to an oath ceremony in the mail. So now I'll wait for the very last part of this adventure.

 

This message board has really really helped me navigate all the paperwork and deal with the stress. The few times I've talked to uscis reps, they've given me really misleading information. I've always been able to find much better answers on visajourney. Good luck to everyone! 

 

 

Wow that's a tough interview, it reminds me of my AOS interview here in Massachusetts as well , they asked all these question and also called some people and investigated before they approved my I-485. Do you still remember what evidence did you include in your N400? Congrats I hope your get your oath ceremony scheduled soon! Thank you so much for sharing !

[Eddiem2044 5]

11 hours ago, Venus201320 said:

My I-751 was transferred today. I'm assuming because I applied for N-400. 

Ciao! Congrats!!!

right now I'm finishing my N400 online. hopefully I can submit it tomorrow 

 

what evidence did you upload?

 

I may submit bank statement, verizon bills, and utilities bills, but Do I need submit since Jan 2019. or only the last 3 months?

did you upload your passport or your birth cirtifcate?

 

thanks before hand!

 

[Wasa22 5]

On 11/30/2019 at 3:50 PM, Akh606 said:

I did apply my N400 while my I 751 is pending. 

After 5 months I got to interview in Chicago on Nov 19th. 

I went alone, without my wife and the interviewer had one file for me. 

Passed my civic exam and my English one, but she said she can't make a decision as my I 751 is not approved yet even though she did go through my marriage information and I did submit wedding pictures, 3 years of tax return, and baby birth cert. and my wife's papers like BC and passport.

Not sure how long it will take them to approve my N400 but according to some reading in this forum I think it is a very long process and I may hit 120 without any answer. 

Any similar cases and how long did it take to end up?

I am from Chicago and it has been almost 4 month since I had my interview ,no updates

Edited December 3, 2019 by Wasa22

[Venus201320 143]

21 hours ago, Eddiem2044 said:

Ciao! Congrats!!!

right now I'm finishing my N400 online. hopefully I can submit it tomorrow 

 

what evidence did you upload?

 

I may submit bank statement, verizon bills, and utilities bills, but Do I need submit since Jan 2019. or only the last 3 months?

did you upload your passport or your birth cirtifcate?

 

thanks before hand!

 

For "Additional evidence" I uploaded new joint evidence over the past 3 years. Leases, Bank Statements, Life insurance, Auto insurance, Home Owners insurance, Health insurance, Bank accounts, Hubby's passport, My passport, Hubbys birth certificate, Hubbys Driver's license, My Driver's license, Green card 18 month extension letter. I can't remember everything else. I wanted to submit as much proof of bonafide evidence so the process is as smooth as possible. 

[Eli G 3]

I had my i751 and N400 combo interview on Nov 27th, N400 was not approved on site, because they have to do my background check for i751 prior. On Nov 28th, my N400 case was updated to "Case was submitted for quality review based on an approval recommendation" on the old website, but on the new website, my N4OO says" we approved your application" dated Nov 27th. As for my i751 which was approved on Nov 29th. Does anyone have similar experience? how long will the "quality review" take before the oath ceremony can be scheduled? thanks!

[Rubyroo 1]

filed N400 in march with pending I-751

had interview in nyc 3 weeks ago. 

took my hubby and additional evidence, we were interviewed together.

all went well. didn't say if case was approved or not. said need to do background check on 751

status online hasn't changed since we scheduled your interview for n-400 and for i-751 we transferred to new office.

 

anyone similar experience? i see most cases get online update the same day 

[Dashinka 24,629]

On 12/2/2019 at 3:29 PM, Shady123 said:

what questions were you asked specifically for i751 ?

We had a very similar experience as @malico89 at the USCIS office in Detroit.  I accompanied my wife to her N400 interview, and the IO also conducted an unannounced ROC interview with both of us prior to the N400 interview.  The joint ROC interview lasted less than five minutes, the IO verified the biographical information on the I751 form and asked if we wanted to add anything to the package we submitted, so we added updated taxes.  That was it, my wife continued on the N400 interview without me and everything was approved.

[Eddiem2044 5]

I submitted my N400 on December 5th, and my I751 is still pending  since Feb 4th, 2019

today I got my appointment for biometric on Dec 27th

Newark NJ here

 

[USAjune2016 101]

I followed this topic because I was about to file my N400 with a pending I-751 but only one day before my eligibility for citizenship I got an update that my I-751 was approved. I don't know if it's a coincidence or if USCIS are just getting faster. My I751 took little less than a year which isn't too bad. Good Luck for you all !